Run the Gantlet (14 page)

She knew it had to be Caitriona but name-cal ing didn’t seem to be a smart thing to do right now.

“You heard me, kinswoman. You are a fool.”

Dead people? Were they rude or what? “Hey, I’m not the one who kil ed myself over a man.” How dumb was that?

Caitriona sighed. “It was a spel .”

“A spel ? Like hocus pocus?”

“I have no idea what that is.” Caitriona sounded perplexed.

Right. She was from another time and place. “You know like pul ing a rabbit out of a hat.” Eloise realized that wasn’t the best example either.

“Why would you put a rabbit in a hat?”

“You know, I have often wondered that myself.” Eloise looked at the shimmering form. She could make out what appeared to be red hair and a long, flowing dress of cream. “How did you fal for a spel ?”

“It’s a long story.”

Eloise arched her eyebrows upward. “Jeez, isn’t everything in our family?” She couldn’t have simple relatives who baked cakes and got drunk at Christmas and fel face first into the eggnog.

“You need to think,” Caitriona told her.

“About what?”

“I cannot tel you.”

What sort of an answer was that? Eloise rol ed her eyes. “Great help you are.”

“Think, kinswoman,” the other urged. “What is important to you?”

“Arrow.” He was the first person who came to her mind.

“And?”

“Does there have to be an ‘and’?” She looked at Caitriona. Clearly there was something Eloise was missing. “What? You’re not going to give me any clue at al ? What about charades?”

Caitriona shook her head. “Be smarter than I was.”

It was then that Eloise heard something in her voice that she had not heard before. It was despair but also frustration. “You did not kil yourself, did you?” Of course she hadn’t. Strong people held on and endured. They did not take the so-cal ed easy way out.

“No.”

“And you won’t help me.” It was not a question. Eloise knew that whatever was twisting Caitriona up inside was not something she could be privy to at that moment.

“I can’t.” Caitriona’s words were tight with emotion. “I need to live again and through you I do.”

Eloise jerked away from her at this thought. “Oh wait, this is not some weird body-snatching thing, is it? Because I have to tel you I have grown fond of my cel ulite thighs and Arrow is mine.” There was no way she would ever share him with another.

“Just be more wise in what you do than I was. Learn from my lesson.”

Eloise knew the second Caitriona left her. She heard the cars and street sounds once more. “Great, can my life get any weirder?”

* * * * *

“I just spoke to a one-thousand-year-old dead woman,” Eloise told her as she dumped her purse in its usual place. Some things always remained the same no matter what weirdness she found herself in.

“Oh? Nice. How was she?”

Nothing surprised Mesopia. Eloise suspected there was so much more below the surface of this woman than she would ever get to see. “It was most confusing, actual y.”

“Dead people usual y are.”

Eloise looked at the mail stacked on the counter. She picked it up and started sorting through it. “I had this dream last night about a man.” Bil , bil , junk and bil . She dumped them back on the countertop. Al of those could wait.

“Arrow?”

“No, but I think it may have been Angus.” It was the only logical conclusion. Who else would have rushed to Caitriona in such urgency?

Mesopia stopped and looked at her with interest. “Caitriona’s man?”

“Yeah, he was asking me to save them and he seemed real y pissed off at Caitriona.” Eloise stil could feel the waves of angry despair coming from the man.

“They were lovers. I wonder why?”

“I don’t know. The dead are surprisingly unforthcoming with details.”

Mesopia shook her head. “Yeah, but he was a vamp so he would stil be alive.”

That was true. So why was he asking her for help? And why hadn’t he turned up like everyone else had? What was the story there?

“So what now?” Mesopia resumed sorting notes from coins.

“I have no idea. I have Caitriona tel ing me to be smarter than her and a shadowy man I believe is Angus wanting me to save them.” There were times Eloise was flat-out saving herself.

“Tuesday mornings suck sometimes.”

“Yeah, and al without coffee.” Eloise had left home so fast she had not had her usual breakfast of two cups of coffee.

Mesopia dumped the money in the register and slammed it shut. “So we’l get some caffeine and think about it.”

Two cups of coffee later, Mesopia looked at Eloise. “So what do we know?”

“That I prefer the espresso roast to the mild blend.” Eloise was also feeling a bit better. Having to deal with dead people without coffee was hard.

“Right, that goes on the shopping list,” her friend responded. “But what about the whole dead-relative thing?”

“Okay,” Eloise blew out a sigh. “We have witches, a vampire or possibly two and a dead woman looking to come back to life.”
No, I couldn’t have a
normal existence.

“Correct.”

“We have a seventh test to fulfil .”

“Also right.” Mesopia nodded in agreement.

Eloise thought for a moment. “While I think Caitriona knows what the seventh test is, I have a feeling it’s not her cal .” She could see Mesopia was puzzled by this. “Think about it. She is suddenly tel ing me I’m a fool and to wise up. You would hardly give a clue if you were in charge now, would you?”

“It’s also not very nice if she needs your help.”

“Yeah, but I was obsessing over that blonde bitch. I saw her again this morning.” Eloise explained what had happened before work.

“Jealousy is hard to overcome sometimes.”

And then it hit Eloise. It was so obvious and she was annoyed she had not thought about it before. “That’s it!”

“What is?”

“Jealousy.” Caitriona would not want to see her going down the same path as her and jealousy could only be control ed by the one who was feeling it. No one could tel her not to be jealous. She had to feel safe within herself to do that. “The story goes that Caitriona kil ed herself because of jealousy, but she didn’t. She told me that much.” Eloise stil remembered her simple “no”.

“So what happened?”

“She wouldn’t tel me.”

Mesopia sighed. “That’s bloody annoying.”

“Tel me about it.” If they just told her what she needed to do to save al their col ective asses Eloise would do it. “So putting two and two together and coming up with seven, I reckon that the last test is one of fidelity for Arrow and jealousy for me.” What else could it be? The blonde had to be a part of that.

“I bet the blonde is a witch.”

“I have heard some of them can change appearance in the blink of an eye.” Mesopia looked at her thoughtful y. “Arrow is faithful.”

“I’d cut off his bal s if he wasn’t.” In her heart Eloise knew he was true to her and would remain so. “Whatever happens I have to remain strong and not do anything stupid.” It sounded good in principle but practice was the hard part.

“So no kil ing yourself like your dead kinswoman, though technical y it appears she did not do it anyway.” Mesopia shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. “It’s al most confusing.” She reached into her pocket and passed over a smal brown package the size of her palm. “I’m giving you this for protection.”

“If this is more phlegm from an animal—”

“No, it’s actual y something that is supposed to be a deterrent against witches.”

Eloise opened it. A large yel ow tooth was threaded on a leather cord. “Lion?”

“Panther.”

“Uh-huh.” She would need another dozen of these to do any real damage to an attacker but it was the thought that counted.
I guess
.

“It’s said that some African tribes have used sacred, blessed panther teeth to deter witches for centuries.”

‘“It is said’ is a tad vague for me.”

“It’s more about belief. If you believe in something so strongly nothing can break that belief, then you can come through whatever hardship you face.

Eloise arched her eyebrow at her friend. “Who are you, Jiminy Cricket?” Life was not a made-for-television everything-wil -turn-out-right-at-the-end concept. Life was hard and sometimes just plain weird.

“Do you love Arrow?”

“Yes.” There was no other answer she could give.

“Are you going to let that blonde slut have him?”

“Oh hel no.”

“Are you going to pass this last test and save the day?”

“I’l take a crack at it.” Eloise saw the disappointment in Mesopia’s eyes at her answer. “Yes.”

“And you are going to kick the witches’ asses?”

“Yes, because I have a tooth and blondes don’t always get to have more fun.” It was a “go team” moment. Eloise looked once more at the tooth. The power of it escaped her. “So what does the tooth do?”

“No damn idea,” Mesopia responded.

“Okay then.” It was not like everything else in Eloise’s life was clear. What was one more thing? She put it in her pocket.

“Do you know what day it is other than Tuesday?”

“No, but I have a feeling you are going to tel me.”

Mesopia was the fount of knowledge concerning al things significant yet odd.

“One thousand years ago to the day is when the memorial was held for Caitriona.”

Eloise did not know that and she should have. Her Uncle McManus had probably told her that but at the time she was doing the whole I-don’t-want-to-get-involved-with-the-vampire avoidance technique so she probably had her hands over her ears singing la-la-la to not hear him. Yeah maybe some would have cal ed her too stupid to live but they were not living her life. For a long time Eloise had chosen avoidance to action. It was a crazy decision in the light of everything that had since happened. Eloise knew that as she listened as Mesopia told her how she had been researching the Gaunt family.

“The thing was no one could find a body to bury.”

That was freaky. “So we’re talking a resurrection of sorts today?” That would definitely require another cup of coffee. “So whatever the seventh test is, it wil happen today? Any idea what time?” She needed to be as prepared as possible. Though she had the tooth, Eloise had a feeling more would be needed.

“No, but I’d take a guess and say twelve-ish.”

That seemed like a stab-in-the-dark time to her. “Because?”

“I’m thinking Caithness, being in the highlands of Scotland, would have been cold and dark for long periods of the day al those centuries ago, so people would have done things when the sun was at its brightest.”

That made sense. They would have tried to bury someone when the ground was less frozen and there was some sunshine to stand in to commemorate a life. Midday seemed obvious and it at least gave her a time for when she needed to col ect herself and face whatever she had to. It was currently nine thirty. Where was Arrow? Visions of the man lying naked in her bed made her hot al over. Or was he in his own bed? Did he even have a home? She had been so caught up in the sexuality of the man that she had not thought of practicalities. She cal ed out his name and he appeared at her side. Excel ent.

This was cheaper than a cel phone.

“This is such a cute relationship.” Mesopia smiled at them.

“It’s going to happen today.”

“I know,” Arrow responded with a nod.

“You know? How can you know?”

“I spoke to Caitriona but I can’t tel you what about.” His hands linked with hers.

“Jeez, and I’m related to her.” Eloise knew she had to focus. If and when her relative came to life, then she would deal with the family disloyalty thing. “I had this dream about a man.”

Arrow looked at her in surprise. “What man?”

“It doesn’t matter who he was.”

“Oh yes it does.”

“Are you jealous?” Weird that he could be. Eloise had never had someone so interested in her before. Although jealousy was wrong, it was also flattering,

“Just wondering why you did not mention it this morning.”

“Settle, petal.” Eloise put her hand on his shoulder.
To think, I can control all this
. “Actual y, I think he may have been Angus.”

Arrow relaxed under her hand. “Caitriona’s Angus?”

“Yes, and what he said had me thinking.” Eloise told Arrow about how she believed the final test had to be about jealousy as they had covered almost every other issue lovers could get caught up in. “And we think this is al going to happen around noon today.” She surveyed his grave expression. “Am I close?”

“I cannot say. I want to but I promised Caitriona.”

That was sweet. Annoying but sweet. “You’re loyal. I’l give you that.” Eloise turned to Mesopia. “So if we were to be anywhere at noon, where would be the most likely place for this test to occur?” Unlike police speed traps to catch motorists, no one publicized occult happenings on the radio.

“The cemetery.”

“Why? Because of atmosphere?”

“Yes, and consecrated ground never hurts. I’l also look up some words you can chant. You know, just in case.”

“Just in case” was not a scenario Eloise wanted to deal with.

“We wil survive this, shorty.”

“Damn straight we wil .” Eloise hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.

Arrow leaned on a tombstone and critical y assessed his surroundings. He was aware that the cemetery on the north side of Brisbane was a hangout for the local vampires. Luckily for him, few of them could handle the sunlight so he was left on his own. Arrow knew Eloise was close by watching and wearing an ugly old tooth around her neck, which she believed protected her from witches. He hoped she was right as any witches he had ever met were angry when thwarted and he had a feeling these ones would be no different.

The plan was to wait for the blonde woman to appear. So far she had been everywhere Arrow had been. It was almost noon. He could almost feel the air crackle with electricity. Something was about to happen. As if on cue the blonde arrived.